Always Check Your Pockets Before Entering a School

[The Texan Ninja]

So yesterday one of my biggest fears came true: I accidentally carried onto my college campus.

It’s in a not so great part of town so I have made a habit of always carrying on the drive up to the campus and then stowing it in the center console when I get to the parking lot. Unfortunately, I recently got a Ruger LCP as a warm weather carry option and literally forgot it was in my pocket.

I was all the way into the engineering/math building and about 5 steps from entering the classroom when I reached into the pocket my phone was normally and made the discovery .

I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I quickly handed my backpack to my buddy (also a chl holder), whispered to him what had happened and briskly walked back to the car. I swear, it was like every officer on campus was walking around in between my building and the parking lot.

So in short, check every building your about to enter for a 30-06/.gov/school and if you see one, always double check yourself.

[Excaliber]

So yesterday one of my biggest fears came true: I accidentally carried onto my college campus.

It’s in a not so great part of town so I have made a habit of always carrying on the drive up to the campus and then stowing it in the center console when I get to the parking lot. Unfortunately, I recently got a Ruger LCP as a warm weather carry option and literally forgot it was in my pocket.

I was all the way into the engineering/math building and about 5 steps from entering the classroom when I reached into the pocket my phone was normally and made the discovery .

I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I quickly handed my backpack to my buddy (also a chl holder), whispered to him what had happened and briskly walked back to the car. I swear, it was like every officer on campus was walking around in between my building and the parking lot.

So in short, check every building your about to enter for a 30-06/.gov/school and if you see one, always double check yourself.

Your experience brings to mind several observations:

1. You inadvertently demonstrated just how effective the rule and signs prohibiting firearms possession in school buildings are in keeping people from bringing guns into that environment. You had no ill intent, but those who do would walk in just as easily. The difference is they would not be going back outside to stow the gun in their car.

2. It's much easier to forget you're carrying a little gun than a bigger one. It's one of the many gotchas associated with this carry choice. That doesn't mean it's not a good one for you, but as you discovered, it has some ins and outs you have to work a little harder to manage.

3. Concealed means concealed, and because you did that well and acted responsibly when you realized your mistake, there were no lasting adverse consequences to your inadvertent infraction of the rules.

[The Annoyed Man]

I would add that he broke no laws unless he had entered a building with his gun in his possession. As long as he was outdoors, it was legal.

[fickman]

It sounds like he did enter the building and was near the classroom door itself?

To tack on to what TAM said, though, once you were back outside and on the journey back to the car, you were perfectly legal. At that point there was no need to be paranoid about the police unless they saw you exit the building AND had maintained constant observation AND had reason to ask you for ID or discerned you were carrying.

Lesson learned! Now let's call our state reps and senators and get campus carry passed so this is a moot point in the future.

[terryg]

At that point there was no need to be paranoid about the police unless they saw you exit the building AND had maintained constant observation AND had reason to ask you for ID or discerned you were carrying.

Not exactly true. Although he was no longer in legal danger, campus police officers are generally employee's of the school itself. Therefore, discovery by an officer could lead to significant disciplinary consequences as a student of the university - possibly including expulsion.

Lesson learned! Now let's call our state reps and senators and get campus carry passed so this is a moot point in the future.

Agreed!!! Public AND private ... if possible.

[The Texan Ninja]

At that point there was no need to be paranoid about the police unless they saw you exit the building AND had maintained constant observation AND had reason to ask you for ID or discerned you were carrying.

Not exactly true. Although he was no longer in legal danger, campus police officers are generally employee's of the school itself. Therefore, discovery by an officer could lead to significant disciplinary consequences as a student of the university - possibly including expulsion.

This.

I was much more concerned about being expelled than arrested.

[JJVP]

So yesterday one of my biggest fears came true: I accidentally carried onto my college campus.

It’s in a not so great part of town so I have made a habit of always carrying on the drive up to the campus and then stowing it in the center console when I get to the parking lot. Unfortunately, I recently got a Ruger LCP as a warm weather carry option and literally forgot it was in my pocket.

I was all the way into the engineering/math building and about 5 steps from entering the classroom when I reached into the pocket my phone was normally and made the discovery .

I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I quickly handed my backpack to my buddy (also a chl holder), whispered to him what had happened and briskly walked back to the car. I swear, it was like every officer on campus was walking around in between my building and the parking lot.

So in short, check every building your about to enter for a 30-06/.gov/school and if you see one, always double check yourself.

Are you saying that the invisible force shield that keeps firearms from entering gun free zones malfunctioned and allowed you to go inside a gun free zone building with a firearm?

[The Texan Ninja]

So yesterday one of my biggest fears came true: I accidentally carried onto my college campus.

It’s in a not so great part of town so I have made a habit of always carrying on the drive up to the campus and then stowing it in the center console when I get to the parking lot. Unfortunately, I recently got a Ruger LCP as a warm weather carry option and literally forgot it was in my pocket.

I was all the way into the engineering/math building and about 5 steps from entering the classroom when I reached into the pocket my phone was normally and made the discovery .

I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I quickly handed my backpack to my buddy (also a chl holder), whispered to him what had happened and briskly walked back to the car. I swear, it was like every officer on campus was walking around in between my building and the parking lot.

So in short, check every building your about to enter for a 30-06/.gov/school and if you see one, always double check yourself.

Are you saying that the invisible force shield that keeps firearms from entering gun free zones malfunctioned and allowed you to go inside a gun free zone building with a firearm?

I know! Yet again the magic signs failed to keep the ivory towers free of "evil"

[C-dub]

I would not have told anyone of the mistake. I would only have said I forgot something and would be right back. I did the same thing at work one day carrying a G27 when I got to my office.

[donniet]

Lesson learned! Now let's call our state reps and senators and get campus carry passed so this is a moot point in the future.

I understand how easily the OPs situation can happen

[Sheepdawg]

I've done that with my .380 at work. The 30.06 sign is bogus, but I still don't carry there.

[dukalmighty]

Guns get stolen out of glove compartments and center consoles all the time,I would consider buying a COM safe to store your gun,I've posted a link and for around $30.00 shipped a good investment,they can be used to store guns in plain sight away from little fingers too.
http://www.center-of-mass.com/Store_InCarGunSafe.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Dave2]

I would not have told anyone of the mistake. I would only have said I forgot something and would be right back. I did the same thing at work one day carrying a G27 when I got to my office.

I've done it with my P226.

[koconcept]

Guns get stolen out of glove compartments and center consoles all the time,I would consider buying a COM safe to store your gun,I've posted a link and for around $30.00 shipped a good investment,they can be used to store guns in plain sight away from little fingers too.
http://www.center-of-mass.com/Store_InCarGunSafe.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the link I'm going to have to pick one of those up. To the OP do you think you may or may not forget that the gun is on you if a situation arose where you needed to use it or be in immediate danger of death from a bad guy. Serious question not trying to flame you at all as I don't have a carry license as of yet but in the near future I'm looking at it and this concerns me as it would be a real shame to get killed by a bad guy weilding a crow bar in a parking lot because one forgot he had a means of self defense on their person. Thanks.

[Jumping Frog]

. To the OP do you think you may or may not forget that the gun is on you if a situation arose where you needed to use it or be in immediate danger of death from a bad guy. Serious question not trying to flame you at all as I don't have a carry license as of yet .

Nah, carry everyday for years and it becomes part of who you are. If there was some odd reason I had to disarm, like going inside a school, the opposite is more likely true: I'd be reaching for a gun and startled when my hand came back empty!